Kāwika

In preparation for our journey to Puerto Rico, the 2012 Hawaiʻi delegation is learning a traditional kahiko hula from Kumu Hula James Dela Cruz, co-founder of Nā ʻŌpio o Koʻolau Hula Halau. The song was hakuʻd in honor of King David Kalākaua, the "Merrie Monarch" who brought back the hula after colonial influences had suppressed this cultural practice and tradition in Hawaiʻi. We learn this hula to honor ancestors who value expression and representation beyond conventional norms set in place by colonial influence and imperial force.